Royal Marines examining production processes (?) at the English Electric factory in 1948 Catalogue No.962

For many years we've collected original glass-plate negatives ranging in size from 5"x4" to 12"x10". Many were acquired from photographers, others were found in bric-a-brac shops and boot sales.

The negatives were produced when photography was still a craft which required great skill and years of training. The quality of prints obtained from these negatives must be seen to be believed, particularly now we've become accustomed to the results obtained from digital cameras and mobile 'phones.

Our collection originally covered the people and scenes of Merseyside during the immediate post-war period of 1946-1962, though it has been extended to include other areas and earlier periods.There is also a large Maritime section, with Cammell Lairds and the Mersey featuring strongly.

These images are invaluable to anyone studying the period or the region, and they also have a broad nostalgic appeal. Many of them are works of art in their own right, especially when enlarged and framed.

The small images shown on this site are intended to provide only a glimpse of our extensive archives. We have catalogued more than 2000 images, and many thousands have still to be researched and added to the list.

In recognition of the historical importance of our negatives, we now produce prints on a heavyweight acid-free archive paper suitable for displaying in normal conditions.

There are buttons on each image page if you want to buy a print or a large watermark-free image file.- Or just use the site to browse of course.